Devon gangmaster barred from unlicensed activity

The gangmaster was served with a Labour Market Enforcement Undertaking, effective for one year

A man supplying food processing staff via a recruitment agency has been prevented from putting forward workers without a licence following investigations by the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) in Devon.

The 38-year-old Sidmouth-based Romanian was served with a Labour Market Enforcement Undertaking (LMEU), which was signed and will remain in place for one year.

LMEUs were introduced as part of the Immigration Act in November 2016 and can be imposed when someone breaches the Gangmasters (Licensing) Act, the national Minimum Wage Act or the Employment Agencies Act.

“Suspected unlicensed activity in our regulated sectors is something we will not tolerate. Where we have reason to believe an individual is not complying with our licensing regime, we will act to ensure they follow the regulations.”​

The GLAA currently has 15 active LMEUs along with the UK’s first Labour Market Enforcement Order (LMEO) for a couple who supplied workers to food factories in Leicester without a licence.

In March a Romanian man was arrested on suspicion of modern slavery and human trafficking offences in the food processing sector, while a separate incident saw a 21-year-old Polish man taken into custody on suspicion of slavery offences related to the trafficking and exploitation of a 27-year-old victim in Bradford​.

If you believe someone is being exploited, call the GLAA’s confidential hotline on 0800 4320 804 or email pbzzhavpngvbaf@tyn.tbi.hx​.